


History of Magic

by Jewels_p



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts Second Year, Not really Original Character but who is it?, intentionally vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:24:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8809528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jewels_p/pseuds/Jewels_p
Summary: Professor Binns' class is taught a few facts about Voldemort by someone else.





	

“Hello class, is everyone here?” He addressed the surprised looking group “I'm filling in for Professor Binns, who's... indisposed today.” Literally petrified as it happened but no need to mention that.

 

“Now I'm sure most of you were looking forward to your nap- I mean lesson but I would rather like you to stay awake for me.” This got a faint snigger from the group, good.

 

“I want to give you a lesson on a war rather more recent than the Goblin revolts,” A few started looking uncomfortable, others intrigued, guessing what was coming. “I'm going to try to tell you the facts about the man known as Lord Voldemort.” A gasp from many and some seemed to be thinking of speaking. “But I'm not going to speak for or against his professed views.” Confusion again, good. “I know some of you will hold pro-Pureblood views, some will be opposed to that, others will have no strong opinion. It is your right to think as you wish, what I feel you need to know is the personal history of Voldemort. And I want you to think about what I say before questioning it, but do feel free to raise your hand with any question you have.” He hoped that sounded neutral enough even if he wasn't.

 

“One thing that Pureblood families do better than anyone I find is keep family records, and they keep them publicly, I know for instance that Mr Malfoy here and Mr Potter share a great, great, great grandfather.” The two boys mentioned looked at each other before looking away in dismay. “Many of the non-Muggleborn amongst you are distantly related and I'm sure you could name many of the old families who you aren't connected to as well. I'm raising the point so you consider it before you deny my next statement.” Right- deep breath and prepare for the riot.

 

“Lord Voldemort is _not_ a Pureblood, his birth name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and while his mother was indeed a Pureblood witch his father was a Muggle.” Chaos, even the strongly Anti-Death Eater children couldn't believe that. He waited out the gasps, the whispers and a few shouts. “Raise your hands if you have a question please.” He said calmly, if loudly.

 

Potter, Malfoy, Granger, and several others all raised their hands though he was interested to notice Blaise Zabini looking smugly vindicated at the back. “Mr Malfoy?” He hoped this wouldn't be blind denial.

 

“What proof do you have?” More than half the hands lowered, the obvious question had been asked.

 

“I have a copy of the birth certificate for Tom Marvolo Riddle, born to Merope Riddle née Gaunt, and Tom Riddle of Little Hangleton, a village where the scandal of the local squire's son eloping with a 'tramp's daughter' then abandoning her in the late 20's is still talked of by the old folk.” He picked the document off the desk and laid it in front of Malfoy, everyone leaned in to read it over his shoulder. “Pass it round please, let everyone see. You can even order your own copy for a galleon and 12 sickles if you wish.”

 

“I have the attendance records for him at Hogwarts during the 1940's, a time when some of your grandparents were also here so you can ask them about him for a first hand account. I took the liberty of borrowing this from the trophy cabinet as a quick method of proving that one T.M Riddle was a pupil here.” He placed an engraved Special Service award, familiar to many who had served detention polishing it, on the desk.

 

“There is also what I alluded to at the start of this lesson, Purebloods are proud of their lineage, why isn't the family of Lord Voldemort known to all? A man who proudly claims descent from Slytherin himself, which he truly has, on his mother's side but why is nothing else known of him? Because he is a Halfblood.

 

“And finally there's this:” He wrote the name TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE on the board, “Do any of you like anagrams?” A puzzled look from most, dawning realisation on a couple of faces. He started writing underneath LORD and crossed out the corresponding letters in the name, then VOLDEMORT leaving them looking at ~~TOM~~ MA ~~RVOLO~~ ~~R~~ I ~~DDLE~~. He paused then above the name he added 'I AM' and crossed out the final 3 letters. “Not the tidiest of anagrams but he was only 16 or so when he came up with it. And  Vol de Mort" he gave it the French pronunciation "is quite clever. Though whether it means flight _of_ death or flight _from_ death has been debated.”

 

“He was raised in a muggle orphanage when his mother, disowned by her family, died in its hospital wing hours after his birth. His father had long since abandoned his mother to return to his parents, indeed it's possible he didn't even know he was to be a father. As I'm sure the Muggleborns amongst you can readily imagine a young wizard being raised in such an institution didn't lead to a happy childhood. The orphanage was not a bad or cruel place, forget your Dickensian imaginings, but it was in a poor area of London and there was not an abundance of material goods to go around. The staff did their best for the children though, even when strange things happened around young Tom. I believe his powers terrified the other children and he eventually began using that fear to get his own way. Perhaps at that time he could have been easily shown that terror is not the only method of success, certainly an explanation of what Tom was would have helped the carers at the home.

 

“When the normal time arrived he was invited to Hogwarts and happily came here to finally interact with other who could do magic. He had told the teacher who came to explain Magic to him about some of the cruel things he had done to the other children at the home and he was watched with suspicion while here but not given counselling that might have tempered his desire for power and immortality. He was also sent back to the orphanage each summer, not a surprise you think, until you consider that this was during the Second World War and most children had been evacuated from London because of the Blitz, I'm sure that lack of care did not endear the school to him. What ever the cause of his murderous tendencies before he left the school he had already killed, more than once, each time shifting the blame onto others.

 

“After he graduated he worked for Borgin and Burke's of Knockturn Alley for a short while, he also founded an initially respectable organisation called the Knights of Walpurgis, a society to preserve Wizarding heritage and rediscover forgotten magic, it was joined by several influential people of the day. Some of those people are now horrified to have had anything to do with Mr Riddle, while others became the first Death Eaters.”

 

Silence reigned for the moment. “I'm not saying this to change your views on Muggles, Purebloods or anything other than Tom Riddle himself, I want everyone to realise he was born like anyone else. He's a man, a powerful wizard and a persuasive speaker but still human and flawed like all men. I want to you to know that whether you would fight against him or support him he is human not a god.

 

“I encourage you to check what I have said, try to prove me a liar, I will not ask you to believe what a stranger says to you, that would make me as hypocritical as Mr Riddle.”

 

A few hands still stayed aloft. “Miss Granger?”

 

“Assuming what you've said is true, why haven't we heard this before?” Oh the awkward question, of course she'd ask it.

 

“That I can't say with certainty; many of the contemporaries of Mr Riddle must know the truth, whether fear or loyalty keeps them quiet I can't tell. As for why, for example, Professor Dumbledore hasn't spoken out is a trickier question still, the headmaster is a man with many secrets, perhaps keeping them has become a habit whether necessary or not? That this is the earliest occasion _I_ have had to make it public knowledge and I'm taking it is all I can say with surety.” It was a question he himself would dearly like the answer to. That was apparently the question everyone had in mind as no further hands were raised, though there were many whispered conversations going on.

 

He had thought long and hard before deciding to introduce a second bombshell [one that the facts of _weren't_ mostly public knowledge] but he'd decided it was worth it. “Speaking of the headmaster's keeping of secrets, there is a second I am privy to.” That got him goggle-eyed attention again. “This one concerns two members of this very class, Mr Longbottom and Mr Potter: I'm sure Mr Potter has often wondered why Mr Riddle famously tried to kill him, was it just cruelty that made him wish to kill a toddler or was there a motive?” Potter was squirming under the attention from his classmates but he pressed on. “In nineteen eighty a fragment of a prophesy made to the Headmaster was relayed to Riddle “ _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...”_ There was more but that was all it took to send him on a hunt to kill a baby, note that gender, nationality and blood status were not mentioned or even if Riddle was _the_ Dark Lord to be vanquished. _Thrice defied_ he thought narrowed it down to Mr Longbottom or Mr Potter's parents, both had children born at the end of that July. I can't help thinking an unhelpful muggle waiter's child in Europe might have managed to fit the requirements, but it is not my thoughts that matter here. Faced with his choice between the 2 boys I find it very interesting that it was not the Pureblood he went to kill, surely if he believed his own rhetoric he would have gone after Mr Longbottom first as the bigger threat not an 'inferior' Halfblood?” Potter was looking horrified, Longbottom dumbstruck. He hoped neither would have any form of outburst, either emotional or magical. The rest of the class were darting glances at both of them, while Granger and Weasley were having a low voiced conversation looking worriedly at their friend.

 

“I have only one more thing to say on the subject of Tom Riddle Jr and his followers.; this is directed only at those of you who would join him,” He carefully did not glance at any one student “I make no accusations, no judgements on your political or racial views; I just wish you to truly _think_ whether the best way you can protect the rights, traditions and safety of the Wizarding World, whether it be from what you see as the threat of Muggle weaponry, technology and colonisation or from the changes and lack of regard for tradition some Muggleborns bring with them is to allow a Halfblood to brand your arm as if you were chattel and to kill at his bidding, kill not just Muggles or Muggleborns but fellow Purebloods who disagree with the man's personal agenda?” He kept his voice soft and low as he spoke.

 

“Or perhaps it is the Dark Arts themselves that appeal to you and you wish only to have a chance to practice them? You can picture yourself as a powerful wielder of them, feared and respected. Your enemies vanquished? Yet if you become a Death Eater I can promise you you will kneel in the dirt at the feet of Mr Riddle whenever you enter his presence, praying that you will not be the victim of his Cruiciatus curse for displeasing him somehow. You will not be free to _explore_ the Dark Arts, you will merely perform them as ordered. Blackening your soul for another's gain.”

 

Silence. He hoped they weren't too overwhelmed, he knew they were young, but some were already being indoctrinated ready for the coming war, if he waited until they were truly old enough he would be too late.

 

“B-But he's dead, isn't he?” Came a quivering voice.

 

“Miss Brown, while Mr Riddle is certainly currently presumed dead by the Ministry of Magic, no body has ever been found and both his enemies and his supporters continue to prepare for his return. I see no reason to doubt that they have good cause to expect his reappearance. The fact that he was obsessed with methods of cheating death is no secret, the only question is _which_ _one_ he used.” Potter, Granger and Weasley were the ones visibly least affected by this, though many of the Slytherins seemed unsurprised at the idea.

 

“I have given you a lot to think about and I would be quite happy for you to spend the remainder of this lesson discussing what you've heard between yourselves, between you you may come up with further questions to ask me and I will attempt to answer them.” With that he seated himself behind the desk for the first time, sat back in the chair and waited.

 

Granger was hissing at Potter and making small emphatic gestures towards him, encouraging Potter to ask him something. Malfoy was twisting in his seat to lean around his human bookends and talk to Parkinson, they both looked less than pleased. Others looked stunned, scared, disbelieving or conflicted as they talked with their friends. Though he was again stuck by Zabini's calmness, what made the boy so indifferent to the facts he had presented? Potter did eventually raise a hand, “Yes, Mr Potter?”

 

“Do you know the rest of the prophesy?” Came the question.

 

“I do know it but I don't think this is the moment to make it public, if you, and Mr Longbottom if he so desires, would stay after the lesson I will tell it to you privately.” The class which had been listening with bated breath made protests about the unfairness of withhold information after all he'd said. “I have told public facts about the past, about a man who is a public figure through his own efforts, nothing more private or sensitive.”

 

The class reluctantly subsided again and it wasn't until they were almost at the end of the period that another hand raised: “Mr Weasley?”

 

“How do you know all this?”

 

He gave a careful answer, for where exactly he had obtained some of the information from couldn't be revealed.

 

“The basics of it I was told by my family, after that I started researching to get the details; visiting the Muggle Births, Marriages and Deaths registry office in East London, Little Hangleton village, a few elderly witches and wizards, the one surviving _extremely_ elderly member of staff from the orphanage and the Ministry of Magic. A few facts from each place, put together to form the story I've told you today.” He spoken the last few words over the sound of the bell. The class headed out fairly swiftly, glancing back at the two remaining Gryfinndors.

 

He rose and seated himself sideways at a desk facing the pair. “I will now tell you the rest of the prophesy ' _T_ _he one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies....'_

 

“And Mr. Potter I'm afraid that means while it might once have referred to any one, when Mr Riddle left that scar on your brow it became about you, not Mr Longbottom nor anyone else. I would imagine the 'live while the other survives' line to mean you won't have peace to live as you would choose while he survives, something I would imagine you already suspected. The rest is like all Divination, open to interpretation, and probably only to be understood after the fact.

 

“Mr Longbottom, it's likely that the rest of the class will ask you if you are the one mentioned in the prophesy, for the sake of Mr Potter here I would wish you to not completely deny it, you were next on Mr. Riddle's list that Halloween, _he_ thought it possible. But discuss it between you and decide what you wish to say on the subject, I will leave you to think on it.”

 

With that he left the two shocked boys, stepped into the disused office adjoining, and vanished.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to believe the teacher was a time travelling Harry or even Draco feel free I've left it vague on purpose but....
> 
>  
> 
> I have a head canon of Horcruxes working in a specific way, where each item receives certain traits, the ones Tom wanted to get rid of first then more and more necessary bits of his personality. So the first one, the diary, contained self doubt and compassion, the things you would first need gone to go on a killing spree, (his rationality and sexual desire are in another one you really don't want to open). They can each receive information about what Voldemort's up to, because what use would be resurrecting yourself missing 40 odd years of experience as Chamber of Secret's suggests would have happened if Ginny died? But the personality remains the same and Voldemort has no communication from them. My idea for this story was a disguised young Tom using an hour's life taken from Ginny to warn the children away from his older self, he's still not nice or fond of Muggles but he's seen the madness of where his path leads. And he's possessed Trelawney to visit the Hall of Prophesy to find the rest of the prediction as he was curious about Harry's likelihood of defeating Voldemort.


End file.
